Vacuum nozzle face plate construction for paper sheet cleaners and the like



VACUUM NOZZLE FACE PLATE CONSTRUCTION FOR PAPER SHEET CLEANERS AND THE LIKE Filed NOV. 8, 1960 Oct. 30, 1962 D J. DoYLE 3,060,482

2 To /AcuuM l I zum 52:- l- "HWI 2| 1 4A 202321@ 2* 14 se le@ ATTORNEYS United States Patent M 3,060,482 VACUUM NOZZLE FACE PLATE CONSTRUCTION FOR PAPER SHEET CLEANERS AND THE LIKE Donald J. Doyle, 1297 W. 114th St., Cleveland 2, Ohio Filed Nov. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 67,968 6 Claims. (Cl. 15-306) The present invention is concerned generally with vacuum cleaner apparatus for cleaning moving sheets and webs of paper or other like materials; and more particularly with improvements in face plate construction for the cleaning nozzles of such apparatus.

In vacuum cleaning apparatus for moving sheets or webs of materials such as paper or the like, a common construction includes a cleaning head having an elonv gated narrow nozzle disposed transversely of and in proximity to the path of the moving material; and usually a pair of elongated brushes disposed parallel to and on either side of the nozzle opening. The brushes are in contact with the moving material and serve both to loosen debris or other substances to be removed from the moving material and also -to localize and concentrate the cleaning action of air moving into the nozzle in consequence of the vacuum applied thereto. In addition, between the brushes there is usually provided a nozzle face plate, an elongated element having a series of longitudinally spaced apertures for entrance of air into the interior nozzle space, which keeps the moving material from being drawn up between the brushes into the nozzle.

Such prior face plates have generally been rather eX- pensive to manufacture because of the machining involved in providing the spaced series of apertures therethrough and also in providing a suitable nish on the sur-face thereof disposed toward the moving web. In the use of such prior face plates further disadvantages are attendant, such as difficulty in cleaning and maintaining the same after a period of service when the apertures may have in some degree become clogged or narrowed by accumulation of adhering dust or other debris from the material which is cleaned. Usually in such cases the face plate has to be removed from the head,pwhich further involves displacing the entire vacuum head from normal position in the sheet or web handling apparatus to provide access for removal of the face plate. Further after cleaning and servicing of the plate, there is the require reassembly of the face plate to the vacuum cleaner head, with return and adjustment of the head as a whole to proper position relative to the path-of the web or sheet in the apparatus.

By the present invention as aV face plate there is provided an elongated wound spring longitudinally supported on opposite sides thereof by cooperating seat formations at the mouth of the nozzle slot or opening. The spring may be a normal cylindrical helical spring or a flattened form of the same, either normally wound, or extended, to present openings between adjacent turns. The preferred form, a cylindrical helical spring is supported by similar arcuate curved seat formations partially embracing diametrically opposed portions of the spring along its length, the spring projecting slightly beyond the seat toward the moving web to present the actual paper-contacting surface and the spaces between the adjacent turns thereof providing the actual effective inlet apertures of the nozzle face plate.

Further in the particularly disclosed cylindrical helical spring form, rotatable elements threaded into opposite end portions of the spring as end anchors are externally accessible for rotation by a wrench or other tool for some degree of adjustment of the spring length and hence of the nozzle face plate openings between the adjacent turns.

The end supports thus alforded preferably are so arranged that one or both may be released for axial move-` ment whereby the spring may be expanded and contracted to 'loosen material become adherent thereon during the course of operation; whereby the effective nozzle openings may be cleaned without need of removal of the effective face plate element from the vacuum cleaner head, also thereby permitting the vacuum head to be left in its actual place of service.

A general object of the present invention is to provide an improved type of vacuum cleaner nozzle for moving sheet or web material. Another object is to provide fd face plate construction for a vacuum nozzle of the type described of comparatively flow cost. Another object is to provide a nozzle for a cleaner of the type described wherein the eifective nozzle apertures provided by the face plate are to some degree adjustable in size. A further object is the provision of a face plate construction in a vacuum cleaner nozzle of the type described wherein the effective face plate nozzle openings can be readily cleaned for ordinary operational servicing while the face plate is left in position in a vacuum cleaner head. Other objects f and advantages will appear from the following description and the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the pertinent part of a vacuum cleaner nozzle embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken as indicated by the line 2-.2 in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a yfragmentary section taken as indicated by the line 3--3 in FIG. 1; and v FIG. 4 is a fragmentary bottom view at one end of the nozzle structure taken as indicated by the line 4-'4 in FIG. l.

In the drawings a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown as applied to the nozzle base 10, represented in fragmentary form, of a known type of vacuum cleaner head providing an elongated narrow nozzle inlet passage disposed transversely of the path of a moving web or sheet W (see FIG. 2) of paper or the like, which nozzle passage is in communication with a vacuum manifold (not shown) of the cleaner head. At eachv end of the nozzle base 10, aroughly L-shaped block 12 having its inner end face vertically slotted to receive a portion of the corresponding end of the nozzle base, is secured by bolts 13 passed through the slotted region of the block, the opposite longitudinal walls 10a of the nozzle base and an interposed spacer block 14.

Extending lengthwise between the end block 12, on each side of the nozzle base, there is a i'ller plate 15 and underlying plate 16 secured in similar fashion by bolts extending through the nozzle structure and similar spacer blocks provided therein to prevent collapsing or distortion of the opposite nozzle base walls 10a, since the latter are usually fabricated of sheet metal or lightguage plate. The end blocks 12, spacers 14, and plates 15,v 16 are intended to be a more or less permanent assembly of the nozzle structure. The longitudinal bristle brushes B are removably and usually adjustably secured in parallel disposition to the above-described nozzle structure, with the bristles extending therebelow yfor contact with the web W, by bolts threaded into respective plates 15, 16.

It will be noted from FIG. 2 that the lower portions 16a of plates 16, extending -below the plates 15 and defining the effective slot-type inlet opening, have opposed concavely arcuate faces 16b providing parallel longitudinal seats receiving or embracing diametrica'lly opposite longitudinal sides of the helical spring 17 projecting slightly beyond the end portions 16a, thereby forming a face plate for the nozzle structure 10.

In each block 12, a spring end anchoring member 21 i 3 is mounted in a bore and held in axially xed position by a dog point set screw 22 engaged in the circumferential groove 21a of the anchor member, the bore 20 being and therefore the member 21 being in alignment with the common axis of the seats 16b and hence of spring 17 mounted therein. The inner end of each member 21 is provided with a male threaded portion 21e for threaded engagement in the corresponding end of the spring 17 projecting into the block counter bore 23. With this arrangement the set screw 22 can be slightly backed oil to release the member 21 for rotation by a tool applied to the squared end 2lb projecting externally of block 12; and the spring length between the anchors may be varied by rotation of one of or both members 21 to extend or contract the spring, thereby varying the interturn spacing and the effective openings of the nozzle face late.

p The spring length may be so chosen that for the minimum desired turn spacing the spring is under tension when installed, so that upon withdrawal of even one set screw from engagement with the groove of a corresponding member 21, the member 21 is released inwardly under spring contracting force, thereby causing accumulated clebris on the spring turns to be loosened and so eiecting cleaning of the spring. If desired the projecting end 2lb may have a hole 21d therethrough providing means for engagement by a wire hook or other means for retaining control thereof, so that the anchor member cannot escape entirely into the interior of the assembly and also to provide means for repeated manual extension and contraction of the spring if required for spring cleaning agitation.

From the above description it is apparent that a relatively low cost construction is provided Ifor a face plate in comparison with those commonly now used; and that the disclosed construction has the further advantages of adjnstability, ease of cleaning at the site of installation or place of operation, and usually also of obviating any need for withdrawing the cleaning head from normal position. Further the use of the plates 16', either light plates or heavy guage sheet which may be coined or otherwise formed along one margin to provide respective seat formation 16b along with the separate plates 15 assembled thereto for support of the brushes B, is to be preferred -to machining concave seats along margins of a single heavy plate corresponding in thickness to 16 and 15; although even where the latter expedient is used the general advantages of the invention are still attained, including even a lower fabrication cost in comparison with the usual type of face plate.

Also the use of the helical spring as above described is preferable to the use of a attened type spring of the form, for example, such as that sometimes used as a wrist watch band, because of the larger cylindrical space between the internal opposed faces of the turns which gives a larger air flow area and longer operational periods between cleanings; and also because of the secure anchoring of the ends by their threaded engagement above disclosed, its ease of adjustability and accessibility in a compact arrangement in comparison with the end clamping means which would be required with the less preferred flattened form of spring.

I claim:

l. In a vacuum cleaner, for continually moving sheet or web material such as paper or the like, including an elongated narrow nozzle structure forming a slot type vacuum inlet adapted to be disposed transversely across the path of the moving web material, and having also a material contacting elongated face plate structure disposed along said inlet, that improvement comprising: an elongated wound spring of substantially like external form throughout its length having adjacent turns spaced to provide openings therebetween and extending along the entire length of the inlet opening of said vacuum nozzle, and means on the vacuum nozzle deiining a slot as said inlet opening and forming a longitudinal seat adapted to embrace spaced longitudinal portions of said elongated wound spring on opposite sides of said inlet opening and maintain said spring in said inlet opening with a longitudinal portion of the spring exposed as a material-contacting face plate.

2. That improvement described in claim 1 including, means on the nozz'le structure engaging opposite ends of said spring for anchoring the spring in adjusted length.

3. The improvement described in claim 2 wherein at least one of said anchoring means has a portion accessible externally of the nozzle structure and operable to release said spring for expansion and contraction of the spring for spring cleaning operations while in place.

4. The face plate improvement as set forth in claim l where said spring is an elongated cylindrical helical spring having the turns thereof spaced to provide openings therebetween when in operable disposition in said seat.

5. The face plate improvement as set forth in claim 4 including anchor means at opposite ends of said nozzle inlet opening for supporting said helical spring endwise, said anchor means being axially ixedly mounted with respect to the nozzle structure and having threaded portions threadably engaged With respective end portions of said spring.

6. The face plate improvement as set forth in claim 5 wherein said anchor means includes a male threaded member releasably axially fixed in but rotatably supported by said nozzle structure at opposite ends thereof, at least one of said threaded members having outboard means adapted for exterior rotational engagement.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 881,879 Boegel Mar. 10, 1908 1,848,731 Langer Mar. 8, 1932 2,532,910 Hayward Dec. 5, 1950 2,809,073 Wahlert Oct. 8, 1957 2,956,301 Bruno Oct. 18, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 6.797 Great Britain Sent. 21. 1906 

